Thursday, May 15, 2008

Survival @ Wolong

Each day brings new worries, new hopes, new endings. We can only report what we know for sure and wait for more. Wolong Town has been devastated, but rescuers have arrived and the foreign tourists who were stranded during the earthquake and the aftershocks have been removed by Army helicopters to Chengdu. Their lives were protected by the Pandas’ caretakers and later the residents of Wolong. 

Pandas and people are homeless and we don’t have a death toll for either. We do know that medical aid and supplies have been requested. We have been assured the panda cubs were moved to safety inside the town and we have been told the staff is alive. Their homes beside the panda enclosures suffered heavy damage and like the residents of the town, they have little protection from the weather. Enclosures suffered damage. The caretakers are working night and day.

That is all we know for sure. There is a wonderful story by the BBC that we suggest you read  <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7402604.stm>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7402604.stm from rescued British tourists. We have been in contact with their concerned families during this ordeal.

This week we are working 15 hours a day to communicate, verify, raise funds, and prepare to provide and replace what Wolong’s people and pandas will need. Please join us in giving to them what they so generously give to us -----joy in life and its experiences. We need donations to bring that back to the endangered pandas, their devoted caretakers, and the residents of Wolong.

With a heavy heart and great sympathy for China’s people,


Chair of Pandas International